


Night and Day

by Hizzy (Basalit_an)



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-23
Updated: 2012-03-23
Packaged: 2017-11-02 10:19:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/367900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basalit_an/pseuds/Hizzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU: High School. Sakura is an A student, who has a good attitude and great friends. 10th grade has just started, and already Sakura seems to have her mind on someone...But just who?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Period Three

Sakura sat down at her desk, glancing around her. School had been in for two weeks and still she could barely remember who was in class with her. As a sophomore, she knew a fair amount of the students in her classes with the exceptions of her electives and this class, biology, as they were mixed classes consisting of more freshman than sophomores. There were also a few juniors scattered around, the ones who hadn't bothered to pass the year before nor take it again in summer school.

Sharing her table was Kiba, the class clown. He loved to pull pranks on all he teachers, and often ganged up with Naruto to play big jokes on all the teachers. Their favourite targets were Mr. Umina and Mr. Mizuki, as well as the Principal, Mr. Sarutobi.

At the table to Sakura's left was Hinata and Sakura's best friend, Ino. She was glad to have Ino in two classes: this biology class as well as fifth period French 2 class. Behind Sakura sat the quiet but clever Sasuke, a boy both Sakura and Ino had a major crush on. The two girls had fought over him countless times, almost to the point of ending their friendship, but they finally worked it out. They had both asked Sasuke if he liked either of them. He never answered.

Sharing Sasuke's table was a boy with blond hair whose name escaped Sakura. He never did much class work, and he goofed off a lot with Kiba during lecture, which annoyed the hell out of Sakura. Many a time she had wanted to throw both boys out the window, but had restrained herself from doing so. She didn't want to break Mr. Muzuki's window.

In front of Sakura and Kiba's table was Mr. Mizuki's chaotic desk. Books on the ecosystem littered the cramped desk and red white board markers and overhead pens seemed thrown about. For some reason, Mr. Mizuki only used red ink in lecture. Sakura found it odd, as all her other teachers were never particular to the any colour as Mr. Mizuki was. But to each his own, she guessed.

Kids slowly spilled into the class the second ticker on the clock slowly approached the 8:00 mark. Mr. Mizuki turned from the whiteboard behind his desk. He had been writing on it with, lo and behold, a brand new and vibrant red marker. He started to gather up the other red markers on his desk, dropping them when his large palms got too full of markers and the bell rang, startling him. Kiba snickered at Mr. Mizuki's clumsy blunder. Sakura stepped on his foot, making him shut up, but not without a glare in her direction.

Mr. Mizuki gave up on collecting the pens that had fallen to the ground. Instead, he just grabbed what he needed, took role and began the lecture as quickly as possible. There was no blush of embarrassment, no unsure glance around the room. Mr. Mizuki was a rather messy and clumsy person, Sakura had noticed. He often dropped papers when he was handing them out. He once tripped while holding a glass beaker, shattering it on Sasuke's desk. All he said was that he was glad it was empty and not full of skin-degrading chemicals.

Sakura had never known such a clumsy teacher. Sure, Mr. J, the PE teacher, acted clumsy, but she knew most of his trips and falls were on purpose to keep the class amused. She thought he would have made a better comedian than a teacher. But Mr. Mizuki seemed like one of those single men who could barely function. Sakura often found herself wondering how messy the poor man's house must be.

The lecture was distracting, but Sakura made sure to take good notes. She enjoyed biology, despite having to sit next to Kiba. During the course of the lecture, Mr. Mizuki had dropped his pen eleven times, bumped into his desk hard, causing him to let out a fairly amusing grunt of pain, and managed to knock over a pile of papers he was planning on handing back to the class. Despite his blunders, the man never seemed to act as though they had happened. Sakura admired his ability to move on quickly from a situation. She knew if she were to knock over a pile of papers, she would be blushing like no other from embarrassment.

As the class was coming to a close, Kiba decided it was time for a good prank. He crept up to Mr. Mikuki's desk while he was near the back helping a student with some homework and sat in his chair. The blond kid who sat next to Sasuke joined Kiba, a mischievous smirk upon his lips. Sakura threw a glare to the boys, but it went unnoticed. She glanced back at Mr. Mizuki, who looked oblivious to the boys.

The boys whispered to each other, then began rearranging things on the desk. Sakura tried to make them stop, but didn't want to attract attention from herself. Already other students had spotted the boys and were snickering.

Sakura saw a piece of binder paper Kiba had been drawing on during the lecture. Where notes should have been, tic-tac-toe crosses had been drawn. Sakura wondered why the hell the boy had played tic-tac-toe with himself, but shook the thought from her head. She grabbed the paper, wadded it up and took good aim. She didn't have the best throw in the world, but her target wasn't to far. She drew her arm back, the sent the paper ball flying farther, farther, until it hit her target right on his forehead.

Mr. Mizuki looked up, slightly started by the paper wad. He looked towards the front, expecting to find Kiba and his friend, Arik, snickering. Instead, they were fiddling with his desk. He made a bee line for them, and grabbed Arik by the beck of his collar. The boy froze. Kiba looked up, and the smirk from his face faded.

"Detention," Mr. Mizuki said. He said only the one word, yet it was enough to send the boys back to their desk. Kiba looked angry when he returned to his seat beside Sakura and muttered something about Mr. Mizuki being gay.

Sakura glared at Kiba, but before she could open her mouth to say something, the bell for lunch rang. Kida grabbed their belongings and rushed out the door as Mr. Mizuki was wishing them a good day with all the enthusiasm of a cat in a dog kennel. Sakura packed up her things and stood up, glancing at Mr. Mizuki's desk. He hadn't bothered to move the things Kiba and the boy Arik had fiddled with. She also noticed for the first time than Mr. Mizuki's crowded desk held nothing personal. There were no photos of his family or friends or pets, no models of cars or boats. Hell, even his rimless eyeglasses rested on a table beside his desk, not the desk itself.

She found herself wondering if the man had any life at all. Perhaps he was a recluse. But why the hell was he a teacher then? Perhaps he didn't want his students seeing his family. Sakura shook her head. Why was she thinking of Mr. Mizuki so damn much? Maybe because he was the weirdest teacher she had.

"Have a good lunch, Mr. Mizuki," Sakura said, leaving Kiba pouting at their table. Mr. Mizuki didn't look up from the whiteboard he was erasing, but he did wish her a good day, this time with a bit more enthusiasm and even using her name. Guess he was finally glad someone took notice to him.

Sakura met up with Ino and Chouji in the courtyard by the cafeteria. About a dozen other students mingled in the courtyard, talking, but all their voices seemed to melt into one static noise to Sakura. As the three sat down, Ino immediately started talking about the first dance that was coming up. Chouji, who had never attended any school function, listened but didn't include his two cents into the conversation. It was left to Sakura to respond to Ino's comments on the dance.

"I so cannot wait!" Ino exclaimed. "I know Sasuke's going to be there! I'll steal a dance from him!"

Sakura laughed at her friend. "Why would Sasuke go? He doesn't like dances."

"Because his brother's going, and he has to take Sasuke with him," Ino stated quickly. "You know Itachi has that ting for Temari."

"She'll ignore him," Sakura said. "She ignored every guy except the ones she really likes." Sakura noticed Chouji's boredom, so she decided to switch the subject. "Did either of you understand that worksheet in Biology?"

"I didn't," Ino said, looking annoyed that she couldn't gossip. "I hate that class."

"I don't get anything Mr. Mizuki teaches," Chouji said. "He teaches weird."

"He's just disorganized," Sakura said, thinking about Mr. Mizuki's chaotic desk.

"He's a butt flake," Ino spat. Sakura and Chouji stared at their friend, surprised by her sudden insult.

"He is not!" Sakura said, surprised all the more by her own words.

"He is," Ino said, crossing her arms. "I think he's gay. I mean, look at his hair! It must be better conditioned than mine."

"He's not gay!" Sakura said, her voice rising. Ino raised an eyebrow at her and Chouji looked startled.

"Clam down, Sakura," he said. "It's only Mr. Mizuki."

"Why are you getting so worked up over that butt flake?" Ino asked. But it was too late. Anger had welled up inside Sakura and now it was overflowing. Before she could think, she stood up and yelled at the top of her lungs:

"He's not a butt flake!"

The sudden silence in the courtyard brought Sakura back to her senses. She sat down immediately, her cheeks a deep red, almost as red as the marker Mr. Mizuki had used. She looked off towards the library, avoiding the stunned look of her friends, only to find out the worst: Mr. Mizuki had been standing there all along.

And he had heard everything.


	2. Period Five

Sakura stared at the worksheet in front of her. It was covered with foreign words, some bold, some bigger than others, some italicised. The blank lines provided for answers were empty. Normally, Sakura did fairly well in French class, often finishing her worksheets quickly and could help the students around her. But today, her mind was still in that courtyard, staring at Mizuki's face and that expression that Sakura couldn't read.

He had seen everything.

She had really messed up. She had lost control of her anger and yelled at her friends. Now, Ino wasn't talking to her. Chouji seemed alright. They had spoken just before lunch ended. Chouji understood that Sakura was upset at Ino for her insults. Now if she could just get Ino to understand.

But understand what? Even Sakura didn't fully understand why she got so upset over Ino's insults. All students bagged on their teachers in one way or another. Even Sakura sometimes mentioned how she didn't like Mr. Umino. It usually never bothered her when people said things about teachers - everyone's entitled to an opinion, right? - but this time, it didn't seem fair. Maybe it was because she had called Mr. Mizuki gay…But why would Sakura care?

She glanced back at Ino. She looked lost in the worksheet. The poor girl struggled with French. Sakura tried to help her, but any time they organized for studying quickly turned into excursions to the mall or hanging out with Chouji and Shikamaru.

She decided she'd talk with Ino after school, apologise for yelling at her and go out for ice cream or something. Maybe she'd ask Sasuke to go with them. Ino would enjoy his company. And Sakura sure couldn't complain.

"Sakura," Ms. Yuhi's voice suddenly called, bringing Sakura back from her thoughts. She looked at her teacher.

"Yes, Ms. Yuhi?"

"Could you deliver this for me?" She held out a plain white letter envelope. Sakura stood up and approached the desk. She took the letter and looked at the name.

It read, "Mizuki."

"Of course, Ms. Yuhi," Sakura said, her voice a little on the shaky side. She turned and left the room before Ms. Yuhi could ask about the tremble.

As she walked down the hall, Sakura couldn't help but wonder if Mr. Mizuki had a first name. She had never heard any of the staff call him by his first name. Hell, she hadn't even seen an initial by his name. Yet another peculiarity about the man. Sakura ad finally come to the conclusion that Mr. Mizuki had to be the weirdest teacher in the school.

She began to approach the door to Mr. Mizuki's room. It was closed and the light inside was off. She knew he had fifth period open, and that maybe he had gone out to copy papers or something. She reached out to grab the handle, but the door swung open to suddenly that it made Sakura jump up and drop the envelope.

"Sakura?" he asked, looking just as startled as Sakura. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"I came to give you something," Sakura said, bending down to pick up the fallen letter. When she stood up and looked back at Mr. Mizuki, she noticed a small red ink mark just above his left eyebrow. She could just see Mr. Mizuki reaching up with his pen to write something on the rather pink whiteboard behind his desk and dropping it right onto his face. But he wouldn't blush in embarrassment when the class laughed at him. He would simply nap up the marker and continue on like nothing happened. The man was amazing at hiding his emotions. Sakura wished she could do the same.

"Sakura," Mr. Mizuki said. "Are you alright?"

Sakura only nodded, her eyes still on the red ink mark. She held out the envelope, barely even noticing it when he took it.

"Is something wrong?" Mr. Mizuki asked.

"I'm sorry," Sakura said. "But you have some ink right there…" She reached up to wipe it away, but Mr. Mizuki back away as if her hand was a deadly poison knife. He swiped at his brow, hardly even touching the mark.

"It's fine," he said. "Thank you, though." He looked at the envelope. Sakura couldn't let it go, though. A bright red mark like that stood out so much against his pale skin and white eyebrows. She reached up and successfully wiped the ink from his brow. Mr. Mizuki looked at her, a truly surprised look on his face.

"Sorry," Sakura said. "It was bothering me." For the first time in the two weeks she had know him, Mr. Mizuki actually smiled. To her surprise, Sakura found that his smile wasn't too bad. In fact, it was almost handsome. Almost.

"You should go back to class now," Mr. Mizuki said. Sakura nodded and turned to leave. She took two steps when Mr. Mizuki's voice came to her ears. "And thanks for defending me at lunch." When Sakura looked back, Mr. Mizuki was gone.


	3. After School

Sakura found Sasuke easily. Their sixth period classes were right next to each other, and Sasuke's style of dress made him easy to pick out amongst the flow of students. However, the tiny hallway was overcrowded with students, and as Sakura pushed her way through the ocean, she realized that getting to Sasuke would be harder than though.

She tried to call for him, but the noise in the hall drowned out her voice. She continued to push her way through the crowd, feeling sweat on her arms from her fellow classmates, and she cringed. When she was about arm's length from Sasuke, she grabbed his upper arm and pulled him outside into the fresh air and relative peace.

Sasuke pulled away from her and glared at her. "What do you want, Sakura?" he asked, sounding rather angry.

"Sorry," Sakura said. "But you couldn't hear me in there." She nodded to the school. "I need a favour."

"What's that?" Sasuke asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Ino and I got into a fight today, and I want to make it up to her," Sakura said, quite honestly.

"I'm not going on a date with her, if that's what's you're thinking," Sasuke said, his voice raising a little.

"No, it's not that," Sakura said. "I'm taking her out for ice cream, and I just wanted you to come. You don't have kiss her."

A light came to Sasuke's eyes, though it was ever so subtle. "Did you say ice cream?"

Ino stood at the bus stop, her arms folded across her chest. She had a hostile look in her eye that warned anyone who passed by her that she was in a bad mood and they should not mess with her. Most people heed the warning.

But not Sakura.

She approached Ino, Sasuke following behind her. Lucky he had agreed to come with them for ice cream. Sakura would have never guessed the boy to be up for something so sweet.

Sakura put a hand on Ino's shoulder and called her name. She glanced at Sakura with an annoyed look, but once her eyes laid on Sasuke, she turned to her friend.

"Hey, Ino," Sakura said cautiously. When Ino didn't chew her head off, she continued. "I'm sorry for yelling at you today. It was stupid of me. I don't know what got into me." Ino unfolded her arms.

"Why'd you get so worked up over Mr. Mizuki?" Ino asked. Sakura just shrugged.

"I really have no idea," Sakura said. "But let's not get tangled in those details. I'm gonna treat you to ice cream, and Sasuke's coming!"

Ino's eyes lit up like fireworks. "Sakura, you're the best!" She hugged her friend and winked at Sasuke. "Let's get going."

The ice cream shop was a short walk away from the school, and was run by an elderly couple. Although a chain ice cream shop had opened up only two blocks away, this ice cream shop still had plenty of good business. The couple sure wasn't worried about losing any customers.

When the threesome walked in, the man behind the counter greeted them by name, except Sasuke, whom of which he did not know.

After some small talk about school and introducing Sasuke, the girls each got their favourite flavour of ice cream - Sakura had strawberry while Ino got chocolate - and Sasuke surprised the both of them by getting a huge ice cream sundae, for which he aid himself due to the expense.

Sakura and Ino watched in amazement as Sasuke devoured the huge sundae. Sakura sure didn't expect that from him - it was something Naruto would have done - but there Sasuke was, scraping down the bowl for each last drop of ice cream.

When he looked up at the girls, he saw the amazement in their eyes. He wiped at his mouth with a napkin.

"I don't get ice cream much," he said quietly. Ino giggled and Sakura just quietly ate her ice cream.

After Sasuke went home, Sakura and Ino walked on back to Sakura's house for studying. At least, that's what Sakura had hoped. But Ino had other plans.

Not ten minutes after the books were cracked open, Ino asked, "Anyone ask you to the dance yet?"

"No," Sakura said, sighing a little bit, knowing there was no way to get Ino to study once she got onto a subject like the school dance. So, instead of fighting it, she asked, "What about you?"

"Yes, actually," Ino said, fiddling with the eraser of her pencil. "Chouji asked me." Sakura blinked in surprise. She'd have never expected Chouji to get up the courage to ask Ino anywhere.

"What did you say?" Sakura asked, eagerly wanting to know the answer.

"Told him I'd think about it," Ino responded. She looked at Sakura. "Do you think I should go with him?"

"Defiantly," Sakura said. "Chouji's a great guy."

"We should hang with him," Ino said. "And Shikamaru. At the park!" Ino busted out with her cell phone and dialled Chouji's number. Sakura sighed as Ino spoke with him, but noticed she hadn't yet told him she'd go with him. Maybe she'd wait and tell him in person. Hell, maybe that's why she wanted to hang with him at the park.

Ino hung up and looked at Sakura. "They're coming," she said. She looked a lot happier. Sakura began to wonder if Ino had been harbouring a crush for Chouji this whole time.

"Alright," Sakura said, closing her book. She noticed Ino had a dreamy look in her eye.

Sakura knew then that her suspicions were right.

The park was only a block away from Sakura's house, and when they got there, they saw Chouji and Shikamaru sitting on the swings, talking. Chouji was eating a bag of his favourite chips while Shikamaru gazed up at the sky.

"Hey, Chouji," Ino said. "Hey, Shikamaru." Chouji waved her Ino, his mouth full. Shikamaru gave a half-hearted greeting, as if speaking to his friends wasn't as fun as watching the clouds.

Chouji stood up, watching Ino. When he finally swallowed his food, he asked, "Have you thought yet?"

Ino smiled at him. "Yeah," she said. "And I will go with you." The smile on Chouji's face was so bright, it could have blinded the sun. Ino hugged him.

Shikamaru had now turned his gaze to Chouji and Ino. He had a small smile on his lips. He stood up and walked over to Sakura.

"Hey," he said. "I heard a rumour today." Sakura looked at him.

"About what?" she asked. He looked at the ground and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Don't hit me for this, but…Are you and Naruto going out?"

Sakura had to use all her will power not to yell out "What?" at the top of her lungs. "Where'd you hear that?" she asked.

"Some kids were saying it," Shikamaru said, being his usual vague self. "I'm guessing it's not true, then?"

"Of course it isn't!" Sakura exclaimed. Ino giggled at her.

"You two would make a cute couple," she joked.

"Not funny," Sakura said. She glared at the ground. Who would have started such a rumour? Naruto? If that was the case, he was going to get his ass kicked!


	4. Period One

Sakura watched her English teacher as he lectured on grammar. Having already known grammar very well, this lecture not only bored Sakura, but since she really didn't need to take notes, it also allowed her to focus on other things. Like Naruto.

He sat two seats to Sakura's left. Neji Hyuga separated them, looking much focused on the book he was reading rather than the teacher's ramblings. She shot a glare at Naruto, but it went unnoticed. Naruto looked very interested in something he was drawing on a piece of paper. Behind him, Neji's cousin, Hinata Hyuga was watching Naruto, regarding him with a dreamy look. Everyone knew Hinata had a crush on Naruto except for Naruto himself. The idiot.

Seeing the class was getting bored, the teacher decided they should all get in pairs and practice their grammar. The teacher, a fat and balding old man, had been a substitute for the past three weeks. Their old English teacher, a man named Orochimaru, had been not only fired, but had been arrested for molesting a minor. Unfortunately, that minor had been Sasuke's older brother, Itachi. As far as Sakura could tell, which wasn't too much, he was doing alright. Sasuke never talked about him, though.

Sakura made her way to Naruto before Hinata could ask him to be her partner. She gave Hinata an apologetic look, but then turned to Naruto, anger flaring in her eyes. Naruto looked up at her and shrunk back.

"What'd I do this time?" he asked. He crumpled the paper he had been drawing on in a nervous motion.

"You told everyone we are going out?" Sakura asked, trying to keep her voice low. Her fists were clenched tightly in anger.

"No," Naruto said. "Of course not! But…I guess I didn't stop anyone from believing it." He gave a nervous laugh, to which Sakura stomped on his foot. Naruto had to bite his lip to keep from crying out in pain and attracting attention to himself, though it usually wasn't a problem.

"Well, if you didn't start the rumor, who did?" Sakura asked. A girl beside Naruto looked up at them, having heard their conversation.

"Sakura," she said, getting Sakura's attention. She pulled a slip of paper from her bag. "This is what started the rumor." She gave the paper to Sakura.

It was a folded note, and inside is what looked like two people passing a piece of paper back in forth, as the handwriting was different. The note basically stated that Sakura and Naruto were going out, because she gave him more attention than any other guy.

More anger built up as she read the note. Naruto even stood up and was looking over her shoulder to read the note.

"That is a really stupid reason to think two people are going out," Naruto said, folding his arms across his chest. Sakura crumpled the note, gritting her teeth in anger. She was starting to attract other's attention, so she sat in Naruto's desk, collecting herself before she punched someone.

"Sakura," Hinata said. Sakura looked over at her. She was sitting in Sakura's desk now, attempting to practice grammar with Neji, but he looked very uninterested in any of it. "May I see the note?"

Sakura handed her the note and watched as she analyzed it. Hinata was an ultra shy and quiet girl, but Sakura knew she was also very observant. Last year, Sakura had been the victim of a stalker, who turned out to be Kiba and his pal, Arik, just playing a prank. Hinata had been the one to identify Kiba's messy handwriting.

"This doesn't look like anyone's handwriting I know," she said, handing the wrinkled note back. As it passed by Neji, he glanced at it.

"Why is it all written in red ink?" he asked. Sakura looked at him with a puzzled look. She glanced at the note once more to notice that it was, indeed, all written in red ink.

"Why not?" Naruto asked. Neji gave Naruto his "holier than thou" look, as he usually did whenever he were to solve a problem.

"If two people are writing on the same paper, wouldn't they use different color inks?" he asked, looking away from Naruto now.

"Maybe they only had red pens," Naruto said, not to be outdone by Neji.

"Red pens are not as common as black or blue, or even a regular pencil," Neji muttered.

"Yeah," Sakura agreed. "The only person I know who prefers red ink is…" Her voice trailed off, as her mind completed the though. Naruto, Hinata and Neji were looking at her now.

"Who?" Naruto asked.

Sakura shook her head to refocus her thought. "The only person I know to prefer red ink is Mr. Mizuki."


	5. Period Six

Sakura stared at the math problems in front of her, and for the second day in a row, her mind was not on her work. And for the second day in a row, her mind was on Mr. Mizuki. The man was not there today. There had been a substitute teacher in third period, and Kiba had been quick to switch places with Arik, a childish and immature prank. But it had sure not been the only pranks those two had pulled.

But Kiba and Arik's stupid pranks were not Sakura's concern. She took out the note and looked at it again. Sure enough, two different sets of handwriting, both in red ink, glared up at her from the wrinkled paper. Sakura's first reaction to that red ink was immediately Mr. Mizuki. But why would a teacher do such a thing as this? Teachers wouldn't care if two students are going out. Maybe Sakura was just over-reacting, over-thinking this whole thing too much. It was just some stupid rumor, for crying out loud!

Ino even had said that Mr. Mizuki would hardly bother with such a thing. Sakura had told her and Chouji about the note at lunch, and Ino had said Mr. Mizuki was a teacher, so he was too busy doing teacher-like things to bother with his students' love lives.

"I bet you're hoping it was him," Ino had said jokingly. "Does Sakura have a crush on her teacher?"

Sakura had blushed then, not doing well for her case. "Of course I don't!" she had exclaimed. But Ino only shook her head in that dismissive way and turned the conversation to, once again, the dance that was to be held that very night. This time, Chouji was more than glad to participate in the conversation.

Sakura sighed and tried to think about the dance. She should be excited about it. She could hang with her friends and dance and eat cheap snacks. Dances were fun and should be looked forward to. Even in Sakura couldn't get her mind to focus on work right now, she could at least try and think of something fun.

But even now, her mind kept wandering back to that annoying thought of Mr. Mizuki. Did she have a crush on him? He had to be at least twenty years older than her! Sure, every girl must have had a crush on some teacher or something, but why Mr. Mizuki? And when will it stop?

She was getting annoyed with these thoughts. She gripped her pencil and began to attempt the first problem on the page in front of her. Through a sort of forced pace, Sakura had managed to finally get caught up in her work, and when she looked up again, the bell for school to let out had rang.

Sakura met up with Ino after school to get ready for the dance. Ino talked excitedly about the dance, how she wondered what Chouji would look like all dressed up, what she would wear. Sakura remained relatively quiet the way there, with the exception of responding to some questions. With no work to focus on, Sakura's mind was once again turning to Mr. Mizuki.

"Do you know who any of the chaperones will be?" Ino asked. Sakura looked at her, surprised by her friend's question. She never cared who the chaperones were before. Maybe she had found out some information on who was more lax than whom.

"No, not really," Sakura responded. "Why ask?"

Ino smirked mischievously. "Well, I do," she said. She looked across the street, up into the trees, and even waved to a classmate as they passed.

When Sakura figured Ino would not give anymore information, Sakura finally asked, "Well, then who?"

Ino looked at her shorter friend. "Well, Mr. Sarutobi will be there," she said, looking as if she were trying to remember. "And Ms. Yuhi." Just as Sakura was about to open her mouth to ask what the point of this all was, Ino said, "Oh, and Mr. Mizuki."

A weird feeling manifested itself in Sakura's gut. It was that sort of nervous feeling one gets when trying to speak to a boy or girl that one likes. Sakura knew this feeling well – she had experienced it when she had tried to speak to Sasuke for the first time way back in the fifth grade. Now it appeared as she was merely thinking about Mr. Mizuki.

This day was not shaping up ideally.


	6. The Dance

Sakura laughed along with her friends at the dance. In the background, the DJ was playing some popular music that maybe a third of the kids in the room adored while another half would rather drown in a bucket of water than listen to, and still one third be indifferent about.

Sakura was listed under this third category, but it made little difference when she decided to get up and dance with Shikamaru, who had ended up as her date.

It had been a stroke of genius on Ino's part. Sakura had no date to the dance, and so Ino had set her up with Shikamaru. The boy had been rather awkward when he told Sakura that he was her date, and Sakura could tell Shikamaru would rather have stayed home and watched the dust gather on his bookshelf than go to any dance.

Unfortunately, Shikamaru was less adept at dancing than he was a sumo wrestling.

He retreated to a chair in the back when the song had ended. Ino, who looked to be having a fabulous time with Chouji, giggled at Shikamaru. Chouji was beaming at all of the stunned looks the couple had gotten when the two walked in the door together, and Sakura was certain she had never seen Chouji look that happy before, except maybe when Ino had accepted his proposal to the dance.

Sakura got a cup of the red fruit punch and watched the happy couples dance and the not-so-happy couples argue towards the back of the room. She was surprised to see Neji at the dance, though he looked as stoic as ever. At first, Sakura wondered what a guy whose indifference to dances rivaled that of Shikamaru was doing at this one, when she saw Tenten walk up to Neji and pull him onto the dance floor. Sakura smiled to herself and looked away.

It was at that moment when her eyes fell on Mr. Mizuki. She had nearly forgotten he was supposed to be a chaperone at the dance. The excitement of the day, between getting ready and speculating just who would show up with whom, Sakura had forgotten about Mr. Mizuki completely for the first time in a week.

Now the butterflies returned to her stomach. She wondered where he had been today, since there had been a sub in third period. She also wondered if she should go up to him and talk to him.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Ino and Chouji came up. Chouji was almost panting and guzzled down a cup of punch in all the time it took to blink. Ino just shook her head and looked to her best friend.

"What're you staring at?" Ino asked. "Have you seen Sasuke yet?"

Sakura looked to her friend, feeling the blush on her cheeks. "No," she replied. "Not yet."

"Where could he be?" Ino asked, Sakura knowing she would never get an answer. "I saw Itachi." Ino clapped her hands together excitedly. "Oh, Sakura, you'll never guess who he's here with!"

Chouji took this cue to go and join his bored and probably embarrassed friend at the back of the room. Sakura watched Chouji go, then asked, "Well, who?"

"Kisame!" At first, Sakura had to really focus on what Ino was saying. Most of her attention was still on Mr. Mizuki.

"Kisame?" Sakura simple asked.

"Your head in the clouds?" Ino asked. "You know, Kisame! He and Itachi are always around each other. I  _knew_  there had to be something between them!" It finally hit Sakura that Sasuke's older, colder brother had come to the dance with his friend, who was also a guy.

"You can't be sure they're here like  _that_ ," Sakura said, being the unassuming person she was.

"Yes I can," Ino said, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "They're dancing together!"

Ino pointed into the crowd, and Sakura followed her friend's direction. There, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki  _were_  dancing together! Other students were giving them a wide berth, and the expressions of surprise on their faces were exceptionally comical.

Although she didn't mean to, Sakura did indeed laugh aloud. She was thankful the loud music masked it. It wasn't a laugh of malice, but more of pure surprise. She had never expected Itachi or Kisame to be like that. Ino joined her friend in laughter.

The girls chatted a little more, commenting on some other couples. Ino suggested Sasuke had refused to go with Itachi and Kisame to the dance for obvious reasons. Sakura mentioned there was one way to find out.

It really helped Sakura to put the thoughts of Mr. Mizuki out of her mind, at least for the time being. Chouji soon approached, looking a little cautious.

"You girls done gossiping yet?" Chouji asked. Ino smiled at him.

"We are now," she answered, and grasped his hands. Sakura smiled at them.

"Where's Shikamaru?" Sakura asked.

"Not to rain on your parade or anything," Chouji started, "but Temari stole him."

"Oh," Sakura said, laughing it off. Ino giggled,  _claimed_  she knew the two were going to get together eventually, then pulled Chouji back onto the dance floor.

Sakura shook her head. But within seconds of being left alone, the thoughts of Mr. Mizuki invaded her head. She looked to where he was standing. The man had not moved. He was chewing on a toothpick; his hands were deep in his pockets. He looked less than enthusiastic as he gazed at the students.

Sakura swallowed hard, gathered up her strength, then approached him. He saw her approach, and stood up straight, taking his hands out of his pockets.

Sakura smiled as best as she could at him, to be polite. "Hi, Mr. Mizuki," she greeted.

"Good evening," he said. His voice was hardly audible above all the noise of the music and students. "You look nice."

Sakura felt her blush on her cheeks. She was thankful for the dim lighting. "Thank you," she said, her voice trembling a little bit. "Where were you today?"

"I had some personal things to attend to," Mr. Mizuki said simply. There seemed to be a colder edge to his voice suddenly, which took Sakura by surprise a little bit. She took it as a sign not to press the issue.

The thought of the note crossed her mind, but she shook it off quickly. It was ridiculous to think a teacher would do that.  _The teachers probably couldn't spare the ink and paper with this school's tight budget,_ Sakura thought.

"Why aren't you dancing with anyone?" Mr. Mizuki asked suddenly. Sakura looked at him, for she had been staring off into the distance, lost in her thoughts.

"Someone stole my date," Sakura said, not bothering to explain it.

"Oh, that must be a disappointment," Mr. Mizuki said. He looked at her. There was a strange look in his eyes, a look Sakura couldn't read.

"Not really," Sakura muttered, trying not to stare into his eyes and failing miserably. The butterflies in her stomach had turned to raging moths by now, and her fingers were trembling slightly.

Before she even knew what she was doing, she raised her hand to his face. She lightly touched his cheek, then drew her hand away as if she were just struck by a venomous snake.

The touch was registered in his eyes. At first, Sakura almost thought he would pull her close and kiss her, like what happens in the movies. But instead, the look in his eyes faded and he looked away.

"Sakura," he said. "I want you to transfer out of my class."

"What?" Sakura asked, maybe too loudly, though no one looked at them. "Why?"

"Because I like you, Sakura," he said. "I have feelings for you." The sentences were simple, yet they struck Sakura like three-hundred spears through her gut. She was completely speechless.

He ran a trembling hand through his shiny white hair. Sakura found herself wanting run her hands through that hair.

 _How could I like my teacher?_  her mind screamed. She sat down in a nearby chair. Mr. Mizuki looked at her, a troubled and regretful look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry to have told you," he said.

"Mr. Mizuki," Sakura started, amazed at how sturdy her voice sounded. "I like you, too." She looked into his eyes. She had hoped she would see that look again, that look that she couldn't quite read, but she knew it was a positive look. Instead, she found only more regret.

"You're sixteen, Sakura. And my student." His voice was growing colder. "Besides, we're as different as night and day."

Sakura felt the tears well up behind her eyes. She stared down at her trembling hands. "I'll transfer Monday," Sakura said quietly, then ran into the bathroom.


	7. Epilogue

Footsteps echoing off the walls in the silent halls. Passing doors the color of dark limes. His room is coming up. It's fifth period. _He used to have open fifth. Maybe he does now._

Sakura, now in college, and a good few inches taller, and an adult, approached the door that would open to the familiar room of Mr. Mizuki. Now was the time. Four years had been long enough. She had to approach him now.

She peeked in the small window on the green door. There were no students in the desks. Faint classical music leaked from the room. There he was, sitting in his desk, his frameless eyeglasses perched on his nose, his eyes cast down to the paper in his hands.

 _Working diligently._ Sakura grasped the door handle and turned it. The door was unlocked. She opened it quietly and stepped inside.

Mr. Mizuki looked up and a look of pure surprise invaded his dark eyes. "Sakura Haruno?" he asked, standing.

"Yes, sir," Sakura said, smiling at him. His hair was a bit longer now, and he arms looked to be a bit more muscular under his crisp white shirt. "I'm glad you remembered my name."

"How could I forget it?" His voice sounded heavy with regret, almost. Sakura looked into his eyes and saw that regret. She blinked at him in surprise. "Sakura," he started quietly, but he couldn't finish. He just shook his head. "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting you," Sakura said, her voice strong despite the butterflies eating her insides. She had come here on a whim, wondering if the mysterious Mr. Mizuki remembered her. It had been a painful year, that sophomore year after the first school dance.

"I heard you transferred schools," he said, pretending to be interested in the various red pens on his chaotic desk.

"I did," Sakura answered. She said nothing more. A time passed in silence, then Mr. Mizuki lifted his dark eyes to hers.

"I'm sorry, Sakura," he said sincerely. "But I had no choice."

"I understand that now," Sakura said, taking a few steps closer to him. "But I didn't back then. I was mad at you."

"I gathered." To her surprise, he took a step close to her. "The last time I saw you, you were glaring at me like you hated me."

"I could never hate you." The words escaped Sakura's mouth before she could stop them. She felt herself blush and stared down at her feet. Suddenly, she felt Mr. Mizuki's strong hand lift her chin up. He stared into her eyes, and she stared back.

"That's good to hear," he said softly. Then, he kissed her, and she could feel the love in it. She slid her arms around his neck and kissed back, pouring in all the love she felt for him. She felt his arms wrap around her waist and pull her close to his body. When they separated, she noticed he was blushing.

Sakura was speechless. She didn't even try to speak. She saw the love in Mr. Mizuki's eyes, all the love he held for so long and had been unable to express. Now, in the very classroom they had first met, he was finally able to show her what she meant to him.

"Sakura," he stared, then paused. "I…" he started, the trailed off. But she knew what he was trying to say.

She hushed his quivering voice with a kiss to the lips. "I love you, too, Mr. Mizuki," she said, although her own voice was hardly sturdy. He smiled brightly, beautifully. She ran her fingers through his long, white hair and was surprised by how soft it was.

He pulled away, very shy all of a sudden. He glanced at the clock. "I have a class starting soon," he mumbled. Sakura nodded and turned to go. "Sakura," he started, and she looked back at him.

He smiled at her. "Will you have dinner with me tonight?"

Sakura returned his smile. "I would love to," she said. She hugged him and kissed his cheek.

He blushed and hugged her back. He then turned to his chaotic desk, searching for the homework he had to pass out next period.

Sakura walked away from Mr. Mizuki's room, a bounce in her step. She felt like a high school girl once again. But now, she had the man she loved.


End file.
